Brendon de Jonge has backed Jon Rahm to complete the Career Grand Slam as he explained why he put the Spaniard on the same tier as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
Rahm has been such a fascinating figure to follow over the last few years. When he decided to make the jump to LIV Golf in December 2023, there was an argument that Rahm was the best player on the planet.
His form on LIV has been extremely impressive. However, he has largely been unable to take that form into the major championships.
Jon Rahm backed to complete the Career Grand Slam
Rahm did finish tied for second at the PGA Championship last month. But that was his first top five in a major since he decided to turn his back on the PGA Tour.
Nevertheless, there is a belief that some of the best years of Rahm’s career are still ahead of him.
Speaking on 5 Clubs, Brendon de Jonge put together his list of the top 10 players in the world, separating them into various tiers.
And he suggested that he would put Rahm on the same level as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – though Gary Williams was unable to agree.
“I was looking through this thing and it just shows the depth in golf right now. There were 20, 25 players that really could have fit into what I think are the top 10 players in the world. So I looked at tier one. Tier one to me was guys that could win anywhere, anytime, and often without even their best stuff. I came up with these three guys here. Obviously, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and I threw Jon Rahm in there as well,” de Jonge said.
“I think when it’s all said and done, Jon Rahm is going to have the Career Grand Slam completed. I think we see this guy win more majors. Who knows what’s going to happen with the LIV-PGA stuff? I think we see Jon Rahm with just an unbelievable second half of his career as well.”
“Yeah, I firmly agree with the latter part of that. My challenge with putting anybody in a tier with Scottie Scheffler is just that, it is his relentless, dogged, productive pursuit of whatever the next event is. I mean, he has seven top fours this year, which includes a win, and we’re acting as if he’s in a funk. And I know that he is burdened by the expectations of what he’s done over the last four years,” Williams said.
“I couldn’t put Jon Rahm in a tier with Scottie Scheffler myself. I don’t know that I can put Rory in there, and Rory’s won a major. And Rory, he didn’t have as many starts, his production is always very consistently good. I just struggle to put Rahm in a tier with Scottie.”
Brendon de Jonge says Rory McIlroy has a higher ceiling than Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler has been the game’s most dominant player since Tiger Woods over the last few years. He is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the greatest golfers of all-time.
It does appear that a rivalry between Scheffler and McIlroy is ready to kick into another gear. The Northern Irishman has been freed up by winning The Masters in each of the last two years.
And interestingly, de Jonge believes that McIlroy would have the edge over the world number one if they were both firing on all cylinders.
“I still think Rory has the highest ceiling in golf. I think when everybody’s playing their absolute best, which doesn’t happen, when everybody is playing their absolute best, I think Rory McIlroy is the best in the world,” he said.
“Now, obviously, Scottie Scheffler has the highest floor. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. This is why I felt like it was necessary to put McIlroy in there as well. And I still do think Jon Rahm is right there with those guys.”
It is going to be interesting to see whether it is Rahm or Scheffler who completes the Career Grand Slam first.
Scheffler is closer, with the 29-year-old only needing to win the US Open. But Rahm has finished second at both of the majors he is yet to win. So perhaps it is not a foregone conclusion.
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